Work for the Month of July 



Conducted by Henry Gibson, New York. 



The Flower Garden. 



With the approaching heat of the July days this 

 department will demand a good deal of attention. We 

 can hardly expect to have sufficient rainfall to supply 

 the needs of the plants in their demand for moisture, 

 so it would be well to make arrangements for having 

 the beds and borders thoroughly watered from time 

 to time with the hose. Weeds should be kej)t down 

 and the surface soil stirred frequently, which helps to 

 conserve the moisture to a remarkable degree. 



]\Iany of the occupants of the hardy border are just 

 commencing to make their best showing, and every- 

 thing possible should be done to make the most of 

 them. Summer bedding, and potting of chrysanthe- 

 mums during the month of June take up so much time 

 that it is almost impossible to attend to staking and 

 tying at the proper time. Though this work is apt to 

 prove irksome during the long hot days, yet personal 

 inclinations should be put on one side and an extr.i 

 effort made to keep up with the work. 



Where biennials and perennials are wanted for 

 permanent planting in the fall, the seeds should be 

 sown now, if not already done. 



Lawns. 



These demand a large amount of attention at this 

 time of the year. A protracted drought soon gives 

 them a brown, burnt-up appearance that is not at all 

 desirable. True, we cannot expect a lawn to present 

 as luxuriant a green color as it does during the early 

 summer months, yet by keeping the sprinklers busy 

 it is really surprising what can be made of it. The 

 grass will not need to be mowed so frequently, and 

 the time thus saved will be well spent keeping the 

 hose and sprinklers busy. Preserve a trim and neat 

 appearance round the walks and drives by keeping 

 the grass edges clipped. 



The Vegetable Garden. 



Keep the hoe busy among the crops to preserve the 

 moisture in the soil, as is suggested in the flower gar- 

 den. If drought is experienced, don't hesitate to floo<l 

 the vegetable patch with the hose. There is no com- 

 parison between fresh succulent vegetables, grown on 

 a well-watered and cultivated piece of ground, and 

 those obtained from ground that has become baked. 

 Beans, corn, etc., may be sown for succession, also let- 

 tuce, radish and other salads. Keep tomatoes tied, 

 and prune away the laterals. 



The winter supply of celery should be planted out 

 this month. The old method of digging trenches is 

 rapidly being lost sight of, setting the plants in drills 

 drawn in pairs a foot apart and 3 inches deep is the 

 modern method. Of course, it is understood that a 

 space of from 4 to 5 feet is left between each pair of 

 drills, to allow for earthing up. Celery is a marsh 

 plant, and obviously needs copious supplies of water. 

 During dry weather thorough and frequent waterings 

 must be given. There seems to be one advantage in 

 digging trenches and growing by the old method, in- 

 asmuch as during long spells of drought previous to 

 earthing up, the hose can be turned into the trench 

 and the water allowed to run until the trench is full. 



Early-planted celery will now require tying and 



earthing up in order to blanch it. Keep a sharp look- 

 out for leaf mining maggot, and burn affected parts as 

 soon as observed. 



Fruit Garden. 



I^ot up runners of strawberries, and if the old plan- 

 tations are past their usefulness, dig or plough them 

 under, and plant to late crops of vegetables. If not 

 needed for this purpose the ground could be seeded to 

 some leguminous green crop to be ploughed under in 

 the fall and thus add to the fertility of the land. 



Peaches, apples, pears, etc., should be thinned if the 

 crop is heavy. .Summer pruning can be continued. 



Thk Greenhouses. 



The newly-planted roses are now growing vigor- 

 ously and will be benefitted by a good mulching of 

 horse manure. Don't use fresh manure, but if none 

 other is available, water it in well as soon as it is put 

 on. Tie up the plants and keep them clean ; do not 

 allow them to flower. Let the buds stay on until they 

 are about to show color, and then cut down to the 

 first good eye. 



Carnations. 



Where field culture is adopted the young plants 

 should have every attention in the way of watering, 

 spraying for thrips, pinching and general cultivation 

 in order to have first-rate plants for benching later on. 

 The old ])lants in the houses are now past their use- 

 fulness and should be thrown out. Get the houses 

 ready for planting the young stock. Give the bench 

 a good coating of hot lime and add a good handful of 

 sulphur to each bucketful. If the house is entirely 

 empty, burning flowers of sulphur inside will clean out 

 a good many pests. 



Miscellaneous Plants. 



Poinsetteas may still be propagated, and the early- 

 rooted ones potted up as they are ready. Double 

 violets may be planted this month. These require to 

 be carefully watered, good cultivation and fumigating 

 religiously attended to in order to have first-class 

 blooms next winter. 



The winter flowering Begonias, Glorv de Lorraine 

 and Cincinnati should be potted on as required, using a 

 light compost containing a fair amount of fibrous ma- 

 terial. The feeding roots of these plants are very deli- 

 cate and do not readily penetrate a heavy, firm soil, 

 hence light ])otting should be the rule. Ample drain- 

 age should be provided for, and watering carefully at- 

 tended to. Shading at this time is indispensable, and a 

 light spray overhead will do much to encourage a free 

 growth. 



Calanthes are now making strong, vigorous growth. 

 The atmosphere should be kept moist by several damp- 

 ings down during the day, l)ut care should be taken to 

 avoid anything like a stagnant humidity at any time. 

 See that the plants do not suft'er for want of water, 

 though the other extreme, a wet, sour condition of 

 the soil, is not conducive to their welfare. .\s the pots 

 fill with roots, weekly applications of diluted liquid 

 manure w ill be very beneficial, xmtil the flower begins 

 to e.x]jan(l, when it should be discontinued. Thrips 

 should be kept unrler control by frequent spraying or 

 fumigation. 



(iardenias planted early last mijuth will now ad- 



